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M. Davidian 587emphasized the importance of clarity and simplicity in writing and speaking(which he demonstrated by editing everything I wrote for my dissertation andthe papers arising from it). His motto for writing a good journal article was“Tell ’em what you’ll tell ’em, tell ’em, and tell ’em what you told ’em.” Asyou’ll see shortly, I’ve adopted that one as a guiding principle as well.I learned a lot from both Dave and Ray that laid the groundwork formy own strong interest in effective scientific writing. I am certain that, hadI not had the benefit of their guidance, I would not have developed my ownskills to the point that I eventually had the opportunity to serve as a JournalEditor. In my three years as Coordinating Editor of Biometrics in 2000–02and my current role (since 2006) as Executive Editor, I have read and reviewedprobably well over 1000 papers and have seen the entire spectrum, from thosethat were a joy to read to those that left me infuriated. And ditto for my timespent on NIH study sections (grant review panels). During my many yearson what is currently the NIH Biostatistical Methods and Research Designstudy section, including three years as its Chair, I read grant applicationsthat were so clear and compelling that I almost wanted to write my ownpersonal check to fund them, but others that left me questioning the audacityof the investigators for expecting the taxpayers to support a project that theycould not even convincingly and clearly describe.What is it that makes one article or grant application so effective andanother one so dreadful? Of course, the methodological developments beingpresented must have a sound basis. But even if they are downright brilliantand path-breaking, if they are not communicated in a way that the intendedaudience can unambiguously understand, they are not going to be appreciated.Given what one has to say is worthy, then, it is the quality of the writing thatplays the primary role in whether or not a paper gets published or a grantgets funded. I’ll concentrate on writing here, but most of what I say can beadapted equally well to oral presentation.So how does one become a good writer? Admittedly, some people are justnaturally gifted communicators, but most of us must practice and perfect ourwriting skills. And they can be perfected! Here is a synopsis of the points I andmy colleagues stress to junior researchers when discussing effective writing ofjournal articles and grant applications.First and foremost, before you even begin, identify and understand yourtarget audience. If you are writing a journal article, you have two types of targetreaders. The Editor, Associate Editor, and referees at the journal, some ofwhom will be experts in the area and all of whom must be convinced of yourwork’s relevance and novelty; and, ultimately, readers of the journal, who mayspan the range from experts like you to others with a general background whoare hoping to learn something new. If you are writing a grant application, itis likely that many on the review panel will have only passing familiarity withyour area while a few will be experts. Your presentation must be accessibleto all of them, providing the novices with the background they need to understandyour work while communicating the key advances to experts who